Bicyclists are invited to participate in the free Earthworks Tour Inaugural Ride on Saturday, June 2.
The half-day ride through the Green River Valley starts at 9 a.m. at the Herbert Bayer Earthwork, located at Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park in Kent, 742 E. Titus St.
In addition to hosting the Inaugural Ride for bicyclists, the Kent Arts Commission invites community members, arts enthusiasts and historic preservationists to the starting line to attend a quick ceremony to celebrate the restoration of the Herbert Bayer Earthwork and the dedication of new artwork.
To register, go to www.KentArts.org/earthworks.
The Earthworks Tour is a new bicycle route that is being organized by the Kent Arts Commission. The tour connects four iconic landscapes in the Green River Valley that are all internationally recognized, but not well known locally. Three were designed by artists and the fourth is a nature preserve. They are the Herbert Bayer Earthwork, the Robert Morris Earthwork in SeaTac, Lorna Jordan’s Waterworks Gardens in Renton and the Green River Natural Resources Area in Kent.
The ride offers three routes for different riding abilities.
The Easy Ride, recommended for families, is a flat, 12-mile ride to the Green River Natural Resources Area and back. The Intermediate Loop is a 20-mile ride that takes riders through the Green River Natural Resources Area and out to Lorna Jordan’s Waterworks Gardens. It is also mostly flat with a single, long incline approaching Waterworks Gardens. The Advanced Ride follows the 20-mile route but includes a steep hill climb up to the Robert Morris Earthwork that adds three miles. All of the roadways and trails along the tour are paved. Visitors can bike to each location but should plan to walk through the earthworks.
Beginning riders interested in the 20-mile loop – and families with children planning to follow the 12-mile route – will have the opportunity to ride in a group with experienced ride leaders. These groups will convene at the start line at 9 a.m. Departures will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the family group departing at 9:45 a.m. Rest areas will be located at the Green River Natural Resources Area and Waterworks Gardens.
The Earthworks Tour Inaugural Ride is co-produced by Cascade Bicycle Club. This family friendly event will include art installations, performances and artist-designed prototypes. The artist Johnnie Olivan will join the ride with the Family Bus Bike, which seats three adults and two small children. Other temporary artists’ projects will be announced in mid-May.
Bicyclists can connect to the Earthworks Tour via the nearby Interurban Trail, connect via transit at nearby Kent Station –or- drive and park for free across the street from the start/finish line at the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 East Smith Street.
Following the Inaugural Ride, the Earthworks Tour will be a permanent bicycle route and remain open to the public for self-guided tours. In the coming months and years, the Earthworks Tour will be expanded upon as new routes become available to bicyclists. For instance, the Green River Trail is currently closed due to sandbags along the trail.
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